Upcoming games of 2017: Role-playing games

Ding!

By
Ravi Sinha

Every beginning has an end but every ending has to follow an epic journey. In the gaming industry, an epic journey is usually equated with role-playing games. Take control of one or many characters, embark on a quest and save the world (or the universe in some cases). 2017 is already looking packed with great RPG releases – let’s highlight the ones you should be playing.

Tales of Berseria - PC, PS4 - 24th January

The Tales series may be hard to get into and the story in Tales of Berseria is no different. However, when you take away the Daemons and evil empires, you’re still left with a gorgeous world and awesome character interaction (particularly in the skits). Combat is the main appeal as party members can chain combos together in an almost fighting game-like fashion.

Torment: Tides of Numenera - PC, PS4, Xbox One - 28th February

The other compelling RPG that InXile has planned this year is Torment: Tides of Numenera. Set in the Ninth World, players will become the Last Castoff as he attempts to remember his previous days. As a follow-up to Planescape: Torment, Tides of Numenera will employ a new Tides system to measure the reactions inspired in on-lookers, thus crafting a Legacy to bestow different benefits.

Horizon: Zero Dawn - PS4 - 28th February

Robots have never looked as imposing as they do in Horizon: Zero Dawn. Imagine battling them with bows, arrows and your wits. Don’t worry though as the world is large, vibrant and full of stuff to do. NPCs have quests to dole out, robotic animals must be harvested for parts and secrets exist to be uncovered. Keep an eye on this one – it could be PS4’s biggest exclusive in 2017.

Mass Effect: Andromeda - PC, PS4, Xbox One - 23rd March

Commander Shepard may be gone but he’s far from forgotten and his legacy lives on in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Mass Effect: Andromeda will feature an open world structure with crafting, better vehicles, more freedom in character customization and plenty of breath-taking worlds to explore. The combat may still be shooter-heavy but it’s still an RPG deep down.

Persona 5 - PS3, PS4 - 4th April

The Persona series has never been about realism, despite being set in modern day Tokyo and a major part of the games focusing on school life. But in Persona 5, you awaken a series of ghostly Personas, form the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and travel to the Palace in some alternate realm to battle monsters. It’s kitschy but it works and Persona 5 promises tons of hours of compelling gameplay.